Growth Company partnership with Metroline creates new routes into work

• The Growth Company is working with Metroline to help people in Greater Manchester become bus drivers.
• The Metroline Academy provides a route from training into recruitment, helping Metroline to reach people from different backgrounds and recruit from local communities.
• The partnership shows how employers and employment services can work together to meet workforce needs while creating opportunities for local people.

The Growth Company has teamed up with Metroline to give more people in Greater Manchester the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the region’s famous yellow buses.  

The Metroline Academy offers training for people looking to become bus drivers, helping them develop the skills they need to start a new career.

For the company itself, the partnership helps them reach local communities and attract people from a broader range of backgrounds.

On the road to a new career

The Academy provides a practical route for people considering a career change or looking to get back into work.

The current 15-day programme includes Level 1 qualifications in Customer Service and Well-being at Work. People who successfully complete the course receive a guaranteed assessment with Metroline for current bus driving vacancies.

For those taking part, the training can be the first step towards a completely different career.

One participant said: “I wish I did it years ago because I’m enjoying it so much.”

Working together to create local opportunities

The partnership goes beyond providing training.

The Growth Company has helped Metroline build useful relationships with the likes of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Manchester City Council, and Tameside Council.

Metroline says the Academy is helping them to recruit locally and build a workforce that better reflects the communities its services operate in.

It is also part of a wider relationship with the Growth Company, bringing together employment and skills expertise with support around social value, local supply chains, sustainability, and business growth.

Find out more

Watch the Growth Company and Metroline story to see the partnership in action.

The Growth Company

The Growth Company is an award-winning social enterprise with a 35-year history of enabling growth, creating jobs, and improving lives. We help people and businesses to develop, grow, and succeed through a range of employment, skills, and business support services. We provide employment, justice, and health services across the North of England and beyond.

Learn more about the employer support that we deliver.